I actually think the large/small station comparison is poor, and I'm going to qualify that. In the past several years LAS (then a large station) had the absolute worst meals imaginable. Last year it was borderline inedible. This year, now as a much smaller station, was immensly better. No, it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad enough (IMHO) to generate substantial complaints. A bit better would have been nice for sure, and I really think the extra $0.50 to $1.00 a person might be well worth it.
Complaints about poor food, even though it may be "a nice gesture by the Company" are well placed. Yes free is free, but it's not just the meal. The holiday meals are supposed to morale boosters for both the employees and management. If the employees are notably dissatisfied with the meal, it was a failure. If all the Company gets out of the meal is a feel good "Well, we take care of our employees, we feed them when they work on these holidays" it's a failure as well. When it's done well the Company deserves props all around for the effort. Conversly, when they drop the ball by cutting corners or costs to do it, they deserve zero accolades. Hearing of some stations getting Boston Market and others getting raw turkey is a EPIC fail in my book, and those employees deserve some payback for feeling like they got the short end while others got hooked up.
